PhD Journal Of A Ghanaian Woman in Stem

Learning how to organize your application information would save you so much time and is a great resource for finding information easily. Graduate programs frequently look for individuals who understand and respect the requirement for a structured work life rather than just those who are knowledgeable. It is therefore very important to organize your application materials to keep track of progress and to have a prepared document to present to your supervisor when asking for advice or letters of recommendation. Below is my 8 column spreadsheet and what information each column has.

1. Name of school
2. Name of program
3. Supervisors of interest
4. Admission requirements
5. Application fee
6. Application deadline
7. Funding
8. Link to program website

Access a downloadable template here.

You can use this as a starting point for your graduate school application information spreadsheet. Bear in mind that it is critical to organize your application information as quickly as possible, not when application deadlines are approaching or you’re applying. From the template above, you can see that there are several prerequisites that must be met ahead of time. Be sure to look into graduate programs as soon as you think you might be interested, just to see what kinds of requirements they have. That way, you would be able plan ahead of time and get everything in order without feeling pressured!